Golf: Oct. 14, 2005

In the last three years, Tiger Woods has changed to the Nike golf ball ('00 Memorial), the Nike driver ('02 Pebble Beach), the Nike irons ('02 American Express), the Nike wedges ('03 American Express) and the Nike 3-wood ('05 Doral). But the putter ... he's had the same Scotty Cameron Titleist model in his bag for seven years, and it might not be going anywhere soon -- especially after another win Sunday at the American Express Championships in San Francisco. -- Kansas City Star

To hear him talk, John Daly's botched 3-foot putt that cost him in a playoff loss to Tiger Woods on Sunday at the American Express Championship was not unexpected. "It's been a horrible putting year," Daly said afterward. "And when you don't have a lot of confidence with your putter -- especially when you have a chance to win -- instead of feeling you are going to make them ... I didn't feel like I was going to make them." Daly three-putted the 71st hole to fall into a tie with Woods, then did the same thing on the second playoff hole, missing a birdie putt from 12 feet that would have won the tournament. -- St. Petersburg Times

On the same day that Michelle Wie made her professional debut, the governing body for golf outside the United States announced that it was changing its rules to allow women to qualify for the British Open. Of course, the move by the Royal & Ancient Golf Club caught the attention of Wie, who has said that her goal is to play on both the LPGA and PGA tours. Annika Sorenstam, meanwhile, expressed little interest. -- Los Angeles Times

Nancy Lopez, one of the game's icons, was critical of Michelle Wie's career path. Instead of pursuing berths in PGA Tour and LPGA Tour events, Wie should have played more junior golf, Lopez said. LPGA Tour standout Cristie Kerr was vocal in her assessment of a special exemption Wie was given in the McDonald's LPGA Championship, a tournament that had always been for professionals. ''This is the kind of tournament you should earn your way into," Kerr said. -- Baltimore Sun

The LPGA Tour, which has held an event in the Los Angeles area every year since 1996, might bypass it next year. In addition, LPGA Commissioner Carolyn Bivens said that the Trump National Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes, site of the delay-marred Office Depot Championship two weeks ago, was not a good fit for a regular tour event. -- Los Angeles Times

The PGA Tour on Tuesday released more details involving renovations of the TPC at Sawgrass Stadium Course and its clubhouse, which will cost as much as $26 million and be ready in time for the 2007 Players Championship. Beginning the week following the 2006 Players, the course will be completely dug up and the clubhouse razed. The property then will be on a fast track to re-sod the fairways and greens with sand, plant modern Bermuda grass, add a state-of-the-art drainage system under the playing surface and build a Grand Mediterranean Revival-style clubhouse that will be nearly double the current structure -- 80,000 square feet, up from 45,000. -- Florida Times-Union

The PGA Tour unveiled a new Players logo that incorporates elements of the familiar "swinging golfer" logo of the PGA Tour and the tournament's logo, in order to better integrate the PGA Tour and The Players in the public consciousness. -- Florida Times-Union

The PGA tour has been studying a plan that would move the Tour Championship to September, with a series of big-money events to precede it and heighten interest. There also has been talk about moving the Players Championship from the last week in March to May, opening a date for another tournament in March. -- St. Petersburg Times

Pete Dye has seen plenty of championships played on courses he designed. Nonetheless he was ecstatic Monday when it was confirmed that Crooked Stick Golf Club -- one of his first major projects -- will host the 2009 U.S. Senior Open. -- Indianapolis Star